Daimler: Pooler site a no-go

Despite the buzz, German automaker insists it's not ready to move on the megasite.

Posted: Tuesday, April 12, 2005

DaimlerChrysler, the Pooler megasite's elusive, on-again, off-again suitor, is off again, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

"Commissioner (Craig) Lessor received word today that Daimler is not interested in the Pooler site at this time," economic development spokeswoman Loretta Lepore said Tuesday.

Lepore said she was not aware of any reason offered on Daimler's part.

"I think it was a pretty simple, straightforward statement," she said.

A spokesman in Daimler's New York office said he could not confirm the company's statement late Tuesday.

"Because the Sprinter Van is part of Daimler's commercial vehicle division, headquartered in Germany, any such communication would have come directly from there," said Florian Martens, noting the time difference.

Tuesday's announcement comes on the heels of published reports that Daimler was actively looking at manufacturing sites in the United States.

According to the latest issue of Southern Business & Development, a quarterly publication aimed at executives looking for corporate or industrial site locations in the South, the Pooler site is a finalist for a development codenamed Project Pinetree.

"We believe Pinetree to be a European automaker, specifically DaimlerChrysler," said managing editor Lee Burlett in his feature, "The Ten Hottest Supersites in the South."

But editor and publisher Michael C. Randle, who owns the Birmingham-based publication, said there was also a possibility Project Pinetree could be German automaker Audi.

Although DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX) has never expressed renewed interest since backing off from its plans to build in Pooler in 2003, the rumor mill has continued to grind with speculation about Daimler's intentions running hot and cold.

"We never broke off conversations," said Lynn Pitts, senior vice president of Savannah Economic Development Authority. "But neither did we ever get an indication that they were interested again."

Asked about Project Pinetree, Pitts would say only that SEDA submitted a request for information on the project several months ago. He declined to say whether there had been any further communication and said he doesn't know who Pinetree represents.

SEDA often deals with site consultants who do not disclose the names of their clients, Pitts said.

"It's not unusual for a consultant to come in and do a comprehensive site evaluation, only to have another consultant come in later and do the same thing," he said. "It's only later that we find out they're both working for the same company."

While it may seem a costly waste of time and resources, Pitts said he understands the logic.

"When you're getting ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a project, investing two or three million to make sure everything is double- or tripled-checked makes sense."

As for Project Pinetree, Daimler's Martens said he was not familiar with the name.

"As you know, we have never committed to building a Sprinter plant in the United States," he said. "But, if we ever decide to do so, it would most likely be in Pooler."